


A Familiar Sound

by barbaXcarisi (barbaXbenson)



Series: This Is Getting Good Now [1]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Dance Lies and Video Tape, Developing Relationship, Episode Tag, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23403799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barbaXbenson/pseuds/barbaXcarisi
Summary: He couldn’t deny that the man looked good. It seemed that being away from the DA’s office suited him, even the way he carried himself was different. Towards the end, the once arrogant DA had seemed beaten down, just going through the motions. None of that showed now as he strolled confidently down the sidewalk.Shoving away any thoughts of how great Barba looked, Sonny pushed himself off of the wall he’d been leaning on and offered a small wave to signal to him. Not that he thought Rafael wouldn’t recognize him. Besides being a little more gray, he hadn’t changed at all. He was even still in his three piece navy suit from work.“Carisi,” Rafael greeted him with a smile.“Good to see you, Counselor.” There was an awkward moment where Sonny was deciding if he should shake his hand, but he felt they knew each other too well for that. They definitely weren’t close enough for a hug, so he just settled on grabbing the door handle to the restaurant and pulling it open, gesturing for Barba to go in first.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Series: This Is Getting Good Now [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726879
Comments: 16
Kudos: 133





	A Familiar Sound

**Author's Note:**

> So on the latest SVU podcast Peter Scanavino said that he thinks Sonny reaches out to Barba for help occasionally and that he could see them meeting up for dinner. And that's all I needed to get this fic going. 
> 
> Thank PBB for the "Daddy" comment. It was all for him. 
> 
> Hope you all are enjoying how prolific social distancing has made me. :)

While he waited, Sonny leaned against the front of the restaurant, scrolling through his phone and periodically surveying the sidewalk. He was early, something that was becoming rare these days with his hours at the DA’s office, but if he knew anything about Barba, he figured he’d be early too. 

On one of his glances down the sidewalk, he spotted a man crossing the street one block down. His dark hair and beard were on trend, as were perfectly fitted dark jeans. A dark blazer over a salmon colored button down completed the look and Sonny was hooked. 

_ Hello, daddy,  _ Sonny thought, wondering if he’d have time to chat up the man before Barba arrived. He almost choked on his tongue when the man got closer and he realized it actually _was_ Barba. Christ, that was no way to start this off. 

But he couldn’t deny that the man looked good. It seemed that being away from the DA’s office suited him, even the way he carried himself was different. Towards the end, the once arrogant DA had seemed beaten down, just going through the motions. None of that showed now as he strolled confidently down the sidewalk. 

Shoving away any thoughts of how great Barba looked, Sonny pushed himself off of the wall he’d been leaning on and offered a small wave to signal to him. Not that he thought Rafael wouldn’t recognize him. Besides being a little more gray, he hadn’t changed at all. He was even still in his three piece navy suit from work. 

“Carisi,” Rafael greeted him with a smile.

“Good to see you, Counselor.” There was an awkward moment where Sonny was deciding if he should shake his hand, but he felt they knew each other too well for that. They definitely weren’t close enough for a hug, so he just settled on grabbing the door handle to the restaurant and pulling it open, gesturing for Barba to go in first. 

He gave the hostess his name and they were led to a booth near the back. 

“So,” Sonny said once they were settled in across from one another. “How ya been? How’s work?” 

Rafael shrugged. “It’s okay. I’ve mostly just been freelancing for some campaigns. There was some chatter about a position with the DNC, but DC.” He said the city’s name as if it was a garbage dump instead of the nation’s capital. 

Sonny let out a chuckle. “DC’s not bad.”

“You’re from Staten Island, your opinion on an acceptable place to live counts for little.” 

He gave the expected roll of his eyes, happy that after the initial awkwardness they’d fallen back into their familiar rhythm. While they had kept in touch, he hadn’t spent any actual time with Barba since he’d quit, and he enjoyed being back in his company, insults and all. 

It had taken him a while to get over Barba leaving. Not that he begrudged the counselor for his choice, especially now that he was experiencing the drudgery of the DA’s office first hand, but that he’d never said goodbye. They’d all found out from Liv that Barba was gone and they never saw him again. He’d thought—hoped—that over the years they’d become better friends than that, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. 

Sonny could also admit now that he’d had a bit of a crush on the man. He was attractive and smart as a whip, and even though it was usually aimed at Sonny, his quick wit and ability to come up with a biting retort at a moment’s notice was something to be admired. He’d always pushed it down, knowing that even if Barba had looked at him that way—instead of the annoying, eager, wannabe lawyer he had to put up with—there was no way anything could happen. Even without the implications for the cases they worked on, sleeping with coworkers was always a bad idea. 

He felt his cheeks warm with embarrassment just for thinking about sleeping with Barba with the man sitting right across from him.  Barba didn’t seem to notice, or at least had the decency to ignore it. “What about you? Finally getting your feet under you in the DA’s office?” 

“Some days it feels like it and some days it doesn’t.” 

“It will always be like that,” Barba assured him as their waiter brought their drinks. 

“Actually,” Sonny began, figuring now was as good a time as any. “A case is why I invited you to meet me.” 

“What? The texts and thorough emails I send in response to all of your questions aren’t enough? You’ve gotta pick my brain in person now?” It was said lightly, with a smile over the rim of his glass before he took a sip of scotch. 

“I don’t bother you  _ that  _ much.” Rafael only lifted an eyebrow. “Okay, maybe in the beginning I did, but not so much anymore.” 

“Fine, I’ll give you that.” He sat up, arms resting on the table. “What do you got?”

Sonny was saved by the waiter coming by to take their orders, and then he bought some more time by taking a sip of his beer, but finally he took a deep breath. “It’s actually about Alistair Woodford.” 

“Ah,” Rafael said knowingly. “I saw in the paper that he was arrested.” 

“I know that the two of you were friends, and—”

“If you count seeing each other at fundraisers twice a year as being friends then sure,” Rafael interrupted. 

Sonny’s brow furrowed. “He made it seem like the two of you were close.” 

“Then he grossly over represented our friendship.” Sonny saw the realization dawn on Rafael’s face. “Wait. If you thought we were good friends, you think I knew? That I could give you information to help with your prosecution?” 

“I just thought that maybe—”

“You thought that I knowingly kept up a friendly relationship with a sex trafficker? That I knew what Alistair was up to and did nothing about it? After all the years you’ve known me, you think that’s something I would do?” 

“No, no,” Sonny held up his hands. He honestly hadn’t expected it to upset Barba this much. “It’s not like that. I mean, not exactly. I just thought maybe you knew something about him, anything that you think would be useful in plea negotiations.” 

Rafael looked skeptical, but his shoulders relaxed a bit. “Like I said, I barely know him.” 

“Okay,” Sonny said, placating. He didn’t want things to be heated. “Sorry, for implying that you were complicit. I know you’d never do that.” He meant it.

“Plea negotiations, huh?” Barba asked as their plates were placed in front of them, and Sonny took it as a good sign that they were past whatever had just happened. 

“Yeah, we’ve got a meeting with Alistair and his lawyers tomorrow. Hadid wants to plea them out.” 

Cutting into his steak, Rafael nodded. “There’s no way he’s going to want a trial. It’s out there, sure, but it’s not front page or anything. A trial would shove this into the spotlight. Plus with all that money, there’s always the chance of losing. You should offer Promoting Prostitution.” 

“In the third?” Sonny asked. He’d been going back and forth between second and third degree. It would all rest on Hadid’s approval in the end, but he still wanted to know what Rafael thought. 

“The second. That way you still have some wiggle room if they want to drop it to third.” Chewing on his tilapia, Sonny nodded, and Barba continued. “You can probably at least get them for seven to ten. Not enough, but probably the best you’re gonna get.” He waved his fork in the air like he was wiping away his words. “But you know that and Hadid knows that. You don’t need me to tell you what to do.” 

“No, but I appreciate your input.” Sonny said a little too quickly. “You were so good at this job and I’m always afraid that I’ll make a mistake, make a wrong decision that hurts a victim more than they already have been. It wasn’t that way when I was a cop. I was always sure of myself when I went through the door.” 

“I appreciate the rose colored glasses you use to look at my record as a prosecutor, but I had plenty of fuck ups. And you will too, but that can’t be avoided. You just have to do the best you can. And as for the confidence, it will come.” 

Sonny watched as Barba scooped up another bite, seemingly oblivious at the effect that his words had. It had never been like this before. Sure, Barba had helped him along the way, but it had always been the antagonistic tete-a-tete. But this felt like a conversation between two people who were on equal footing. 

He decided to push his luck. “So why do you do this, anyway? Help me all the time, I mean.” 

“So you admit it’s all the time?” Rafael smirked before wiping his mouth with his napkin.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sonny said, afraid that he’d ruined what had been happening. 

Rafael picked up his glass again, but it hung midair while he answered. “Honestly, I gave you a lot of shit, but you’re a good lawyer, Carisi. And I do want to see you succeed. For you, for Liv, for the victims I left behind. It’s important.” 

As if he realized he was being too serious, Rafael took a swig of scotch and grinned. “And it’s nice to know that the DA’s office can’t function without me. I always knew I kept that place running.” 

“Well, there is that plaque of you they put in the entryway of One Hogan Place,” Sonny cracked.

“Only a plaque? I was promised a bust.” 

“Budget cuts. Sorry.” 

Rafael chuckled and Sonny suddenly realized how much he’d missed making him laugh. It was such a rare occasion, at least it had been, and he’d always felt a sense of pride when he was able to elicit one from him. His goal for the rest of dinner was to make it happen again.

A few drinks later, they made their way out onto the sidewalk, the sun long set. The city hummed around them, people eating outside of restaurants and laughing as they went into bars, but all Sonny didn’t notice any of it. 

“You know,” he said, finding bravery in the alcohol he’d consumed. “I’m glad we did this. I always thought you hated me. Or at best barely tolerated me.” 

He expected a snarky comment about how Barba had only put up with him because he was paid to do so, but instead he looked up at Sonny, the lights of the restaurant awning reflecting off of green eyes. “Really? I thought it was obvious that it was quite the opposite.” 

“Wait. What?” Even the pleasant buzz he was feeling didn’t allow him to go with the flow on that one. 

Barba simply shrugged. “It’s not like we could have done anything about it.” 

Sonny’s head was spinning, trying to decipher what exactly ‘it’ was. All he knew was that he couldn’t walk away now. Instead he stepped a little closer, just a tiny bit, but enough. “We should get a drink.” 

“We just had a drink. A few in fact.” 

“I know, but there’s a great bar just over on—”

He didn’t get to finish because Rafael’s mouth was on his. It was a shock, but a welcome one and he wasted no time pulling him close. Barba’s lips were full and soft just as they'd looked to be. Sonny tasted the scotch on his tongue when he parted his own lips to let Rafael lick into his mouth, and he enjoyed the rough brush of Rafael's beard against his skin.

Sonny wasn’t the choir boy everyone made him out to be, and he’d kissed plenty of people, but this was better than all of those combined. Something streaked through him, his body shuddering, and it only spurred him on. He pressed forward until Rafael’s back was against the side of the restaurant where Sonny had been waiting just a couple of hours before, never imagining the night would end this way. 

Rafael pushed at him gently, just enough so that he could speak, his breath still dusting Sonny’s lips. “You know, I have alcohol at my apartment. If you’d still like to get that drink.” 

Sonny grinned, unable to keep away, brushing his lips over Rafael’s again, and then speaking against them. “Absolutely.” 


End file.
